Spontaneous tax payments among businessmen, professionals and share traders — mostly new taxpayers — yesterday visited the Kakrail area of Dhaka for the first day of the nation’s first income-tax fair.
The one-stop shops for tax-return submission, payment and advice attracted many willing to pay their taxes annually if the process is hassle-free.
The five-day fair was inaugurated simultaneously in Dhaka’s Diploma Engineers Auditorium and in Chittagong’s MA Aziz Stadium.
The Prime Minister’s Economic Affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman inaugurated the Dhaka fair. NBR Dr. Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed and other high officials also attended the programme.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) organised the fair. Of 5,000 who visited, 1,500 individuals and 10 businesses submitted income tax returns, according to its estimate.
Approximately Taka 4 crore was received in tax payments. People are able to instantly collect their Tax Identification Number (TIN) and pay their returns at the fair.
The fair offers TINs to new taxpayers and helps all comers fill income-tax forms from 10am to 6pm each day.
The deadline to pay tax returns is September 30. According to the revenue board, the number of taxpayers in the last fiscal year was 7.57 lakh, or less than a third of the total TIN-holders — 27 lakh.
NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed said a wide range of digital taxation services makes filing and paying taxes at the fair easy. The fair could be a model for encouraging people to change their minds about tax services, he added.
The Prime Minister’s Economic Affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman inaugurated the Dhaka fair. NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed and other high officials also attended the programme.
